Malloy's spokesman, Andrew Doba, said Monday that the governor's office picked up the hotel and coach plane ticket, but Malloy paid for his own $100 ticket to the game, which saw UConn beat Louisville, 93-60.

"The governor, in his official capacity, met with alumni, donors and an NCAA official, organized by the university," Doba said.

Last month, Malloy came under partisan fire from state Senate Minority Leader John McKinney and House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. after the governor's reimbursement of $1,234.62 for the Washington trip.

"The governor attending UConn events is clearly within his role as the governor of the state of Connecticut," McKinney said Monday. "I think that's a legitimate role for any governor. I still draw a sharp contrast between that and the White House Correspondents' Dinner."

McKinney and Cafero charged that Malloy was merely rubbing shoulders with the power elite and that he should not have let the magazine pay his way.

Malloy, claiming he did not violate state ethics policy, decided to pay for the trip out of his own pocket rather than let the controversy fulminate.

Cafero and McKinney, both of whom have voiced interest in challenging Malloy in the 2014 gubernatorial election, are less interested in the New Orleans junket.

Most notably, Malloy has used state money to travel to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, where he was an invited speaker in January 2012, and to China for an economic mission last September.

"He's the governor of the state, with the flagship university team in the championship," Cafero said, adding that Malloy seems to have paid a premium for the flight, but the governor couldn't have known UConn was going to make the national championship game until two days earlier when the Huskies beat Notre Dame.

A friendly wager was at stake that night of April 9.

Malloy bet Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear that he would send a basket of Connecticut grown products to Kentucky if the Huskies lost.

If the Cardinals lost, which they did, Beshear said he would send a Kentucky ham to Connecticut.

Doba said Malloy's office has still custody of Beshear's ham and plans to donate it to a soup kitchen or shelter.